How to Do “Gerard Way Hair”

I usually don’t post too many personal blogs here, but I have had so many comments and questions about my hair that I have decided to divulge to you, my trusted readers, my secrets.

As most of you know, my hair style is modeled after the lead singer of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way. First appearing with a red patch in the back of his hair in an issue of Spin magazine, he shocked and intrigued many fans with the style that he maintained throughout spring 2005. That is, of course, until he stunned us all by chopping his long hair off completely for the music video for “The Ghost of You,” but that is a story for a future blog: "A History of Gerard Way’s Hair (So you People Never Have to Annoyingly Ask Him About it Again)”.

So, how do you obtain Gerard Way’s red-and-black “Taste of Chaos” hairstyle? Here’s how I do it:

Step One:

Okay, pretend my hair is completely black for now. You must first part off a section at the back of your hair. So that you can re-dye this area more easily in the future and so that it maintains the proper shape, try to make your part-lines in something as close to a diamond-shape as you can. Pick up only the top layer of your hair. If you hair is not layered, the red will not be shorter and the style will not work as well, so try to get your hair layered before dyeing it.

Step Two:

Use a fine-toothed comb to delicately gather and replace pieces of hair to form it into the shape and amount you want.













Step Three:

Your hair should look like this once you have gathered it all and used a hair-band to secure it in place. My hair has been dyed and re-dyed this way for over two years, which is why my diamond is so sloppy. Ha-ha! If you notice the image of Gerard at the lower-left of the picture of him at the top, you will see that he had a lot less red hair than I do. You can adjust your amount to fit your own tastes.








Now that you have your hair parted, here are some supplies I would suggest:


The first time you dye it, you will have to bleach the part that is supposed to be red. If you do not strip the color before applying the red, it will not show up. I suggest you use this product; as, it lifts the color and applies the red at the same time. You may have to get a higher or lower-lift crème developer than I, however. Mix the red formula and the crème; there will be instructions on the box.











After you dye it once, you will have to re-touch it often; as, red color does not hold well. Your hair will start to look like this:





If you are going for the “Gerard Way Warped Tour 2005” look, keep it this way, but if you want the red back, you will use the method I used today, which –by the way- is the same method you will use with but with the bleach product.



Since I have to re-dye my hair so frequently, I use a semi-permanent dye to re-touch it. I could get a permanent dye to put on it weekly, but my hair would be quickly vanishing from the damage. I always buy a dye that is a shade darker than my intended color, because the blond underneath the dye makes it look brighter anyway.












Step 4

Mix your dye









Step 5

Put on your handy-dandy gloves










Step 6

Without removing the hair-band, begin applying dye to the roots








Step 7

Gradually start pulling back the hair-band so that you can work the dye farther through your hair. Eventually, you will remove this band altogether, and – I have found- it is easier to work the dye through hair using ones fingers.







Step 8

Have one of these clips handy so that you can secure your hair in place once you have covered in in dye.













Step 9

Sit back and relax. If you are using the bleach method, follow the guidelines listed on the box to know how long you should let the dye sit. Since I am using the less-damaging temporary dye, I will allow mine a longer wait.







Rinse out the dye, dry it, style it, and apply Gerard's "Taste of Chaos" half-dead make-up, and you have the look! Congratulations!






-Fin-












NOTE: I tried this and failed many times before going to a professional and getting it done properly. It is probably wise that you go to a pro, too.




XoXo
c.